SF Giants franchise icon Brandon Crawford announces retirement

Brandon Crawford, arguably the greatest shortstop in the history of the San Francisco Giants, announced his retirement on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.

“Baseball has given me, Jalynne, and the kids more than we ever thought possible, and for that we are so thankful,” Crawford wrote in the post. “I wouldn’t have been able to have the career I did without their love and support every step along the way. I also want to thank my parents, siblings, in-laws, coaches, teammates, fans, and everyone else who guided, helped, and rooted for me throughout my career. Now it’s time for the next chapter, and I can’t wait for the new opportunities and different experiences that it will create.”

The Giants announced that they will honor Crawford on April 26 at Oracle Park. Appropriately enough, they will be playing the Texas Rangers, who are led by former Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

“It was an honor to get to know Brandon as a friend and as a teammate,” said president of baseball operations and former Giants catcher Buster Posey in a statement.

“From the first day we were both drafted in 2008 to our final year playing together in 2021, it was an honor to play alongside him for 14 years. Whether it was the clutch moments like the grand slam he hit in the 2014 Wild Card Game in Pittsburgh, the franchise-record, seven-hit game he recorded in Miami, or the dazzling defensive plays and acrobatic throws he made over and over again, Brandon made his mark in a way few athletes ever do.”

Born in Mountain View and raised in Pleasanton, Crawford, now 37, was drafted by the Giants out of UCLA in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Draft and played all but one of his 14 major-league seasons in San Francisco.

During his time with his childhood team, Crawford was a one-time Silver Slugger Award winner, three-time All-Star selection and four-time Gold Glove Award winner, helping the Giants win World Series titles in 2012 and 2014. Additionally, Crawford won the 2016 Willie Mac Award and the 2023 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. Crawford’s 1,682 regular-season games with the Giants are the most in franchise history.

Along with his accolades, Crawford orchestrated some of the greatest moments in franchise history, a list that includes the crowd-silencing grand slam Posey mentioned in the 2014 playoffs against the Pirates, as well as the double play he turned with Joe Panik in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.

Crawford’s role in Giants lore began well before putting on the uniform. On Sept. 27, 1992, San Francisco Chronicle photographer Tom Levy snapped the iconic photo of a 5-year-old Crawford at Candlestick Park standing next to a sign reading, “Mr. White: Do what’s right! Keep Giants in SF.” The Giants’ game against the Cincinnati Reds was supposed to be their last in San Francisco, but a last-minute sale kept the team in San Francisco. Two decades later, Crawford helped make his hometown team into a dynasty.

“Growing up in the Bay Area and going to games at Candlestick, I always dreamed of playing for the San Francisco Giants,” Crawford wrote in his retirement post. “Being drafted by my hometown team and spending most of my career with them far surpassed any dream I had as a kid. I definitely pretended to win a World Series in my backyard — but winning two? That was beyond my wildest dreams.”

Crawford, who spent one lone season with the St. Louis Cardinals last summer, retires with a career .249 batting average, 147 home runs, 748 RBIs and 1,404 hits.

In 2021, a 34-year-old Crawford put together the best season of his career, posting career highs in batting average (.298), on-base percentage (.373), slugging percentage (.522), home runs (24) and RBIs (90) as the Giants won a franchise-record 107 games in the regular season. Crawford finished fourth in MVP voting that season, the only time in his career he finished in the top five.

“The Giants have been incredibly blessed to have had Brandon as part of the franchise for 16 years — really for his entire 37 years,” president and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “… As this chapter closes on his career, his legacy in the game will be celebrated by fans, teammates, and future generations of players who look up to him by the example he set.